HOT BUSH TOPIC #1

On April 28, 2006, President George W. Bush said:

I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.

In the book American Dynasty, author Kevin Phillips notes that during Bush’s first presidential campaign, he would often sing the national anthem in Spanish. From pg. 142:

When visiting cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, he would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, sometimes partying with a “Viva Bush” mariachi band flown in from Texas.

HOT BUSH TOPIC #2

Recently, political satirist Stephen Colbert entertained the president and Washington media establishment at the annual White House Correspondent Dinner with such witty statements as:

I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.

Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don’t pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in “reality.” And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write, “Oh, they’re just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!

Apparently, the President didn’t take too kindly to Mr. Colbert’s brand of humor, and now there’s a bit of a controversy surrounding this particular performance. Conservative wingnuts are up in arms about “the inappropriate humor” of Stephen Colbert.

Maybe they’re right. Maybe it was inappropriate….

On the other hand, who could forget President George W. Bush’s performance at the 2004 White House Correspondents Dinner, when he searched for “weapons of mass destruction?” Here’s an overview of that night from Editor & Publisher magazine:

That night, in the middle of his stand-up routine before the (perhaps tipsy) journos, Bush showed on a screen behind him some candid on-the-job photos of himself. One featured him gazing out a window, as Bush narrated, smiling: “Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere.”

According to the transcript this was greeted with “laughter and applause” from the audience.

A few seconds later, he was shown looking under papers, behind drapes, and even under his desk, with this narration: “Nope, no weapons over there” (met with more “laughter and applause”), and then “Maybe under here?” (just “laughter” this time). Still searching, he settled for finding a photo revealing the Skull and Bones secret signal.

At the time, 500 American soldiers were killed because George W. Bush chose to engage in a war with Iraq over “weapons of mass destruction.” Today, there are over 2,400 soldiers that are now dead because of this action.

So, you tell me what’s inappropriate humor? Stephen Colbert or George W. Bush?

Need a refresher? Watch the YouTube video of George W. Bush making fun of missing WMD.